C1357 The Silver Lance

Yu Yuan watched with a complex expression as the snow bear's silhouette receded into the depths of the Dragon Slaying Stage. He had come to understand that this enigmatic creature had only grasped fragments of the Sword Sect's intricate sword spells. The snow bear's body was suffused with sword's will, enabling it to perceive the profound intricacies of the sword spell and to activate corresponding sword lights within the River of Swords.

Yet, the snow bear itself was incapable of wielding a sword or refining sword lights to vanquish foes. This limitation stemmed from the absence of spiritual energy within its beastly sinews and blood. The Sword Sect's cultivators typically did not emphasize the fortification of their physical bodies or the cultivation of their vital energy, resulting in most of their cultivators possessing a scant amount of vital energy within their little worlds.

Their true strength lay within the Golden Sanctum of the lower elixir field, their mastery over refined spiritual energy, and the purification of their souls. With the sword sheath in hand, Yu Yuan had also sought to fathom the subtleties of the sword spells left by other Sword Immortals, recognizing that these techniques, imbued with a hint of sword's will, were a fusion of spiritual energy and Soul Power. In this context, vitality seemed almost inconsequential.

Without the requisite spiritual energy and Soul Power coursing through their veins and flesh, many wondrous sword spells remained beyond their grasp, unable to be shaped into sword rainbows or sword lights. The snow bear, an alien beast from beyond, shared the same source of power as the Everlands' archdemons—vitality and beast soul. Despite its insight into the nuances of various sword spells and its ability to manifest sword's will, it could not generate sword light within its body to blend with the sword's will.

All it could do was deplete the sword spells it had mastered from the River of Swords. With a soft growl, the Frozen Wastes materialized in the distance, visible from the Dragon Slaying Stage. This desolate expanse was devoid of Shura and other alien beasts. The wall that had once encircled the land appeared to have been recently torn down, allowing the psionic power from the Glimmerdrift Nebula's Star River to pour in, resulting in the withering of numerous pines and trees.

In the subterranean realms of that world, in the deep sea and the shadowy forest, sword lights sparkled and flashed.

"The remaining swordsmen of the Solar Spirit had been hiding in a Frozen World taken by Alonso!"

Zhou You caught sight of the disturbance and let out a snort, remarking, "Alonso must have been aware of the Solar Spirit swordsmen secretly setting up their sword circles in the Frozen Wastes. Otherwise, he wouldn't have gone to the trouble of tearing down the wall of the stars just to bind Xi Quan."

As he spoke, both he and Yu Yuan noticed a massive silver warship emitting a frigid glow as it soared from the ground, setting a course for that world. The warship's thunderous roar and the trailing silver-white flames were awe-inspiring.

Soon after, towering Shura warriors, armed with spears and radiant white blades, mounted on colossal war beasts, began to hunt down the concealed members of the Sword Sect and Solar Spirit in the world stripped of its wall. The Solar Spirit swordsmen, secretly sent by Yue Mu with the "Rillrender" and covertly laying out formations as a contingency, quickly became the Shura's prey.

Nearly a hundred Shura warriors, all of eighth and seventh level bloodlines, with battleships above offering support, left the Sword Sect's hidden members in dire straits. Yu Yuan witnessed a female Sword Immortal, a practitioner of the "Shatterblade," cleaved in two by a Shura enshrouded in radiant silver light. He also saw a swordsman, a practitioner of the Earth Sword Spell, soaring towards the heavens, only to be engulfed by the Shura battleship's artillery fire. The Solar Spirit Body, like a massive gem of emerald glow, burst into jade dust in the sky.

Almost simultaneously, Alonso, the Shura's supreme commander, invoked his blood magic. The wall, transformed from the boundary of heaven and earth, suddenly solidified into a silver lance. Alonso, with his lance in hand, appeared abruptly above Xi Quan's head.

Xi Quan, with her Divine Visage activated, looking as though she bore a sword tomb on her back, tilted her head upwards to see the silver lance thrusting towards her. She was about to counter with her sword when the lance vanished without a trace. When it reappeared, it had already penetrated her Mindscape, piercing through her Lunar Spirit.

Xi Quan's peculiar Divine Visage began to shudder violently. The pale, bone-laden sword tomb, like a mountain, crumbled to pieces. Countless bones, intermingled with the withering sword's will, collapsed like a palace of blocks, scattering in disarray.

Xi Quan instantly reverted to her true form. In her hand, the Withered Sword began to show fine cracks along its blade, reminiscent of the fractures caused by a shattered sword tomb. Yet, this Grand Sword Immortal, who had taken an unorthodox path by mastering a sinister sword spell, hardened her expression and spat out mouthfuls of fresh blood onto the White Bone sword. The fissures, like narrow, monstrous mouths, greedily swallowed her blood, and in the blink of an eye, the sword was whole once more. The Withered Sword regained its pristine whiteness, its sword's will slightly dispersed, though not as focused as before.

"Senior sister, you could have fled," Ji Ningshuang remarked, her voice tinged with weariness and resignation. She had refrained from assaulting the Earth-Tethered Cage, seemingly reproaching Xi Quan for her impulsive actions. She hadn't wanted Xi Quan to come, nor to risk herself in this way. Ningshuang was still contemplating the wonders of the River of Swords, ready to integrate the Stardust sword light into her own. She had other means to depend on. All she needed was time.

Yet, at this very moment, Xi Quan had charged in impulsively to save her. "I'm already here; do you think I fear death?" Xi Quan's voice was icy as she turned and forced Lollar back with a swing of her sword. She disregarded the bead of blood forming on her forehead and addressed Alonso, "You're a Golden Shura. Can't you face me directly? Aren't you Shura renowned for your prowess in close combat?"

"You're seeking death?" Alonso exclaimed in surprise.

"Can you kill me?" Xi Quan scoffed.

"You haven't yet advanced to the late period of the Unbound Realm. The Withered Sword you've mastered continues to wound you with each use. Where does this confidence come from?" Alonso shook his head, his words cutting to the heart of the matter. "Who do you think you are? You, and Du Yuan as well, are both doomed to never ascend to the level of a primordial spirit. Surely you're aware of this?"

"What Sword of Destruction, Withered Sword? After every brutal battle, you both end up wounded."

"The two of you are not Forgeroses cultivators. Your flesh and blood are insufficient, your bodies already riddled with wounds. Are you not aware of this?"

"It's laughable. Do you imagine yourself to be that figure from a hundred thousand years ago? She possessed an innate regenerative power that allowed her to heal her hidden wounds in the midst of battle, unaffected by the strife."

"You two..."

Alonso shook his head, his free hand lifting slightly to summon a genuine silver lance into existence. Wrapped around the lance was a peculiar membrane—the very wall of the world he had previously torn asunder.

With a thrust of his spear, Alonso unleashed a blinding divine radiance that pierced through the decaying sword's will and the blockade of innumerable bones, as though boring a hole through the fabric of space and time itself.

Xi Quan was sent hurtling through the starry expanse, her blood painting the cosmos. Clutching the Withered Sword, she crashed into a nearby snowy peak, shattering several more in her descent.

"Xi Quan is one of ours."

In that moment, Zhou Xun, far across the Star River, clenched his horsetail whisk and turned to gaze at Yu Yuan. Yu Yuan's brow furrowed slightly, his attention shifting to the snow bear.

The snow bear, without turning or any superfluous motion, let out a majestic roar. It seemed to declare that Yu Yuan was the only one it truly acknowledged. Any intruders in the Glimmerdrift Nebula—whether they were cultivators from the Everlands Sword Sect, members of the Merchant Association, or from Boulderdawn—would face its wrath.

This marked the first time it had ignored Yu Yuan's subtle cues.

Alonso stowed the crystal ball, crafted from the eye of a Starbeast, and in a flash, he was at Xi Quan's fallen location. "You're too naive," he chided with a playful laugh. Holding the silver lance in one hand, his other hand burst forth with a brilliance akin to a silvery sun.

A barrage of luminous rays rained down, turning the snow-capped mountains around Xi Quan into a pockmarked landscape. As she attempted to rise, she was bombarded by hundreds of these silvery beams, her body promptly drenched in blood.

The Withered Sword in Xi Quan's grasp lost its luster, its spirit seemingly diminished by the assault.

"You think I'm unaware of your origins, or the finesse of your swordsmanship?" Alonso taunted softly, his lance piercing forward repeatedly. Golden lightning and silver radiance coalesced into myriad strands, each one sharp and relentless.

Xi Quan had no choice but to meet the onslaught with her sword. The Withered Sword generated a halo of grayish-white sword energy, which shattered time and again under Alonso's ferocious assault.

With each explosion, the Withered Sword's spirit diminished a little more.

Xi Quan's face was etched with anxiety as she frequently glanced at the Withered Sword, sensing the sword spirit's waning vitality. She appeared unconcerned about her own wounds, the potential for more bullet holes in her flesh, or the prospect of death at the hands of Alonso's silver lance.

Yet, her greatest fear was that the Withered Sword might shatter, and with it, the sword spirit would be utterly extinguished.

​